CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (Renewal): Strengthening Cyber Community and Pathways Using Research Experiences, Technical Training and Institutional Outreach

该项目支持佩斯大学的CyberCorps®服务奖学金（SFS）计划的延续和扩展。在接下来的五年里，该计划将招募新的SFS学者来研究网络安全，以支持政府确保其网络防御和运营。新的学者将来自该机构计算机学术课程的学士、硕士和博士学位，以及社区学院合作伙伴，包括纽约州立大学-韦斯特切斯特社区学院，这是一所为少数民族服务的机构。学生将组成一个网络安全学者社区，他们相互激励，共同参与各种活动，包括研讨会，比赛和会议参与。此外，该计划将支持网络安全学生俱乐部，作为进一步扩大社区的一种手段。SFS学者将参与研究，技术培训和专业认证准备，以确保他们准备好应对快速发展的网络安全挑战。最后，该项目将继续致力于通过机构外展到K-12学校和社区学院，并专注于招收来自代表性不足的少数民族背景和女性的学生，以实现多样性。佩斯大学的项目培养了在各级政府工作的网络安全专业人员。该项目的目标是：1）培养20名或更多的网络安全专业人员，他们将在毕业后进入政府工作队伍，2）通过五种网络途径培养具有不同教育背景的网络安全专业人员，3）通过为少数民族学生和妇女提供机会来支持该领域的多样性，4）通过机构合作伙伴关系指导非SFS机构及其学生，5）加强佩斯大学与其政府合作伙伴之间的合作，以及6）在佩斯大学和合作机构的更广泛的学生群体中产生成为网络安全专业人员的兴趣。 该计划包括五个网络途径，从副学士学位到博士学位。这些途径允许该计划根据学者的背景和兴趣为他们做不同的准备。此外，学者将参与研究项目，加强他们的网络安全能力。这些研究项目在网络安全学者的支持下，有可能为开源情报、数据分析、机器学习、计算机取证和机器人技术等领域的研究创新做出贡献。专业发展活动将使学者接触来自学术界和工业界的网络安全专业人士。该项目将使用基于能力的建议，使用数字徽章为学者提供与他们的优势和兴趣以及NICE网络安全劳动力框架相一致的路线图。这种指导方法，伴随着五个网络途径，课程整合和研究计划，将使项目团队能够招募和准备学生，以满足政府网络安全专业人员的不同需求。该项目得到CyberCorps®服务奖学金（SFS）计划的支持，该计划为建立或继续网络安全奖学金计划的提案提供资金，并与美国国家网络战略保持一致，以培养一支上级网络安全人才队伍。毕业后，奖学金获得者需要在联邦，州，地方或部落政府组织的网络安全工作与他们的奖学金支持相同的时间。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

This project supports the continuation and expansion of Pace University’s CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program. Over the next five years, the program will recruit new SFS scholars to study cybersecurity in order to support the government in securing its cyber defense and operations. The new scholars will come from the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels of the institution’s academic programs in computing and from community college partners, including the State University of New York - Westchester Community College, a minority-serving institution. Students will form a community of cybersecurity scholars who inspire each other and work together in various activities, including workshops, competitions, and conference participation. In addition, the program will support the cybersecurity student club as a means to further broaden the community. The SFS scholars will engage in research, technical training, and professional certification preparation to ensure they will be ready to meet rapidly evolving cybersecurity challenges. Lastly, the project will continue its commitment to diversity through institutional outreach to K-12 schools and community colleges and focusing on recruiting students from underrepresented minority backgrounds and on women.Pace University’s program has produced cybersecurity professionals working at various levels of the government. The objectives of the project are 1) to produce twenty or more cybersecurity professionals who will enter the government workforce upon graduation, 2) to prepare cybersecurity professionals with diverse educational backgrounds through five cyber pathways, 3) to support diversity in the field by providing opportunities for minority students and women, 4) to mentor non-SFS institutions and their students through institutional partnerships, 5) to strengthen collaboration between Pace University and its government partners, and 6) to generate interest in becoming cybersecurity professionals among broader student populations both at Pace University and at partner institutions. The program consists of five cyber pathways ranging from an associate’s degree to the PhD. The pathways allow the program to prepare scholars differently based on their background and interests. In addition, scholars will engage in research projects that reinforce their cybersecurity competencies. These research projects, with support from the cybersecurity scholars, have the potential to contribute to research innovation in the areas of open-source intelligence, data analytics, machine learning, computer forensics and robotics. Professional development activities will expose scholars to cybersecurity professionals from academia and industry. This project will use competency-based advising, using digital badging to provide scholars with a roadmap aligned to their strengths and interests and with the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework. This advising approach, accompanied by the five cyber pathways, curriculum integration and the research program, will enable the project team to recruit and prepare students to satisfy diverse needs for cybersecurity professionals in the government.This project is supported by the CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program, which funds proposals establishing or continuing scholarship programs in cybersecurity and aligns with the U.S. National Cyber Strategy to develop a superior cybersecurity workforce. Following graduation, scholarship recipients are required to work in cybersecurity for a federal, state, local, or tribal Government organization for the same duration as their scholarship support.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.